I’ve had my 708A several months and used it with no major problems. Until recently that is, when burning a DVD+RW failed at 98%, no information giving other than write failed. This was a RW I had used before with no problems. I have tried other +RWs and DVD+Rs and they burn OK so maybe its the +RW that had developed a fault?

Nero 6 wouldnt let me erase it on my Plextor but I could on a friends NEC 1300A. I tried to burn again on the Plextor with no luck, same failure. I have used it on the NEC 1300A though, same files, same version of Nero and it works fine no problems.

Is this a case of the Plextor requiring high quality media in perfect condition or a sign that the burner is developing problems? Anyone any thoughts?

Since the drive is working with all other +R and +RW, the drive is working. I would suspect the disc may have a defect that the Plextor is sensitive to and the other drives overlook.

As part of the quality reputation Plextor has, you need to use good quality media. Just 'cause the disc works on another drive doesn’t mean the disc is good, only that the other drive is less sensitive to faulty or crappy media.

Even though the media is on the recommended list it doesn’t mean the disc isn’t faulty. It could have some smudges on it or some scratches. I agree with bob11879, if the drive works fine with other media the problem lies with the disc you’re using.